The replacement for MON...?

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I'd be gutted if we were landed with someone like Curbishley.  Awhile ago I suggested that if we got rid of O'Neill, then the likes of Curbishley would be in the frame.

"Nonsense!" cried the antiMONites, "we'll get Mourinho!"

Yeah..like fuck we will.

[Monty]

If this is true, then I hope it was done with the full agreement of Kevin MacDonald.

(I see nobody has given me an example of where this has worked yet).

Well, Lyon. And remarkably well. But possibly uniquely.

Their structure is remarkable. The head coach is thoroughly expendable, but the chairman (Jean-Michel Aulas), the sporting director (Marino Faccioli), the director of special operations (Mathieu Giraud) and special advisor (Bernard Lacombe) have effectively run the club for a very long time now. They do an awful lot of things very differently to any other club, but I can't remember them all right now. Buy Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski's book "Why England Lose" for details.

[PeterZ]

guardian seems to imply houllier won't take over as manager because of health problems

"The 62-year-old has, however, suffered heart problems and it seems highly unlikely that Villa would want him to take over as manager and expose him to the considerable pressure that would accompany that position"

wasn't he manager (not TD or DOF) of lyon for two seasons since leaving liverpool ?

[Mazrim]

Houllier positives: won some silverware at Liverpool (quite a lot), his team which won the CL the year after he left, on the inside track with youth development in France, on FIFA technical comittees (just like, err Dr Jo was), wide knowledge of European football could lead to an actual European scouting network, is not Alan Curbishley.

Houllier negatives: bought some utter shite for Liverpool, played some of the most boring, unadventurous football of that era in the PL, getting on a bit, out of the game a while, bought Emile Heskey for lots of money, bought Milan Baros twice

Another negative: Has the heart of a 90 year old Glasweigan tramp.

[Dante Lavelli]

I'd like to believe that we are going to try and copy the Lyon model, hence the appointment of Houllier.

Can you describe this Lyon system you talk of.  They certainly seem to have a habit of discovering young players that they sell at a huge profit.

[Mazrim]

I could see a team of Houllier as a director of football tasked with getting the whole footballing side of the infrastructure of the club ship shape, Kevin MacDonald as first team coach preparing the squad and a manager like Moyes working great together.

Like Moyes would take a job with those restrictions.

What restrictions? Houllier would do all the behind the scenes work, KMac the donkey work on the training ground leaving him to do what he does best.
I dont think for one minute it would happen but its a nice thought anyway. For me.

[midnite]

Another negative: Has the heart of a 90 year old Glasweigan tramp.

LOL!! I'm off for some shut eye... If the story is true, hopefully it'll sound much better with Millie Clode delivering the news tomorrow morning.

[dave.woodhall]

I'd be gutted if we were landed with someone like Curbishley.  Awhile ago I suggested that if we got rid of O'Neill, then the likes of Curbishley would be in the frame.

"Nonsense!" cried the antiMONites, "we'll get Mourinho!"

Yeah..like fuck we will.

Nobody did, but you carry on.

[Gregorys Boy]

Kevin does Sven's record in the last ten years hold him up as one of Europes best couchs.  I THINK NOT!!  He did a avenge at best job with England, and with the exeption of his one year at City where he had a lot of money to spend he has done nothing of any note since.  Now I am not saying he is a worse couch than AC [i will keep this up to annoy you ], just than given what we need right now AC would be better.  And serously what would be the point in bring someone in who will likely bugger off in a years time, thats hardly forward thinking!

But whatever it looks like we might have our man, its a bit out of left feld, and repesents a gamble, but lets go with it and see where it leads us.

[KevinGage]

He might also be able to persuade    Guillaume Hoarau and Stephane Sessegnon that their futures lie at VP (PSG players, but I'd say he might know them well enough).

[dave.woodhall]

I could see a team of Houllier as a director of football tasked with getting the whole footballing side of the infrastructure of the club ship shape, Kevin MacDonald as first team coach preparing the squad and a manager like Moyes working great together.

Like Moyes would take a job with those restrictions.

What restrictions? Houllier would do all the behind the scenes work, KMac the donkey work on the training ground leaving him to do what he does best.
I dont think for one minute it would happen but its a nice thought anyway. For me.

With an ex-Liverpool manager as his boss and coaching staff imposed on him.

[atomicjam]

Managed to get a few quid on GH at 10/1. I cannot see him being anything but the Manager- that is what he board want in place and that is what his cv will be about.

[Monty]

But whatever it looks like we might have our man, its a bit out of left feld, and repesents a gamble, but lets go with it and see where it leads us.

The problem with the Curbishley suggestion isn't that he's left-field, it's the exact opposite. He's just another personality-less name who mysteriously pops up in connection with managerial jobs. He is a bog-standard sort of target.

[Toronto Villa]

Isn't this what Sir Graham was suggesting? Or maybe I read it wrong. That KM should not be manager, but a "head coach" so to speak, and have somebody else doing the other manager stuff. The board clearly have a high regard for KM as do the players. Yes, Houllier was somewhat suspect as maanger of Liverpool, but he did some good things too. He's also gone back to France and helped shape Lyon and devleoped some good players. If he brings that experience to Villa and helps re-shape the club into a more European model, then why shouldn't we give it a try? It would be very different, and we shouldn't simply dismiss it. It's not been done at Villa before so nobody can honeslty say whether it will work or not.

[Gregorys Boy]

I like Millie also   I think TDOF idea might be a bit problmetic.